Joey Jeremiah
Joseph "Joey" Jeremiah is a fictional character from the Degrassi series portrayed by Pat Mastroianni. He was born in August 1974, and made his first appearance in the series was as a grade 8 student on Degrassi Junior High. From his first appearance up to ''Degrassi High'', he was one of the characters most focused on, and arguably the most popular among the viewers. He returns on Degrassi: The Next Generation as a regular character during seasons 2 through 5. He is the former owner of Jeremiah Motors, a used car dealership and currently resides in Calgary, Alberta, after living his entire life in Toronto, Ontario. Character History Background Joey attended junior high school at Degrassi Junior High School and later Degrassi High School. He graduated in 1993. He was a member of The Zits (originally known as The Zit Remedy) along with pals Wheels and Archie "Snake" Simpson. He got Tessa Campinelli pregnant, after cheating on girlfriend Caitlin Ryan. After high school, he got married to Julia Manning (who had a son, Craig Manning, from a previous marriage). They had only one child, Angela. Julia unfortunately passed away. Joey would later date Sydney, a real estate agent. The relationship went sour when Joey decided he wanted to be with Caitlin, and Joey ended it. Joey began dating Caitlin and asked her to marry him for the second time. However, the relationship eventually ended again. Joey also let Julia's son, Craig, live with him after an abusive relationship with his father. After Craig dropped out of high school, Joey moved Angela and himself to Calgary. Parents Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah, Joey's parents, were played by George King and Gretchen Helbig. They only made occasional appearances. Original Degrassi: Seasons 1–5 Started as: Grade 8 As a youth, his trademark attire was a fedora he always wore over his mullet (though in some early episodes, he wore a beret). His personality was that of a humorous, extroverted, immature slacker. Joey had a penchant for trying to either charm or coerce his peers into getting or doing what he wanted. He was a nuisance to some, and there was an innocence and a caring side to his nature, especially when his friends were in a crisis. His best friend from the beginning of the series was Wheels. Both he and Wheels later became best friends with Snake near the end of the first season when the trio formed an amateur rock band called "The Zit Remedy" for the school's talent show. The band was later re-named "The Zits" when they all went to high school. Despite the skepticism of his bandmates/friends combined with the band having only one song ("Everybody Wants Something"), Joey dreamed of making a career of this hobby, including making copies of demo tapes and a music video. By early 1988, Joey was the age of 14, suggesting he was born between Feb 1974 and Feb 1975. His Junior High homeroom teacher Mr. Raditch was hard on Joey, but did care for him. At the conclusion of season 2 of Degrassi Junior High (seasons 1 and 2 representing 1987-88 school year), Joey learned that he had failed grade eight. This news crushed Joey's spirits as it meant that he could not join the rest of his friends in high school. However, Joey regained enough spirit to come to the grad dance with his friends and perform with the Zit Remedy. In repeating the eighth grade, Joey was a classmate of Caitlin Ryan, a smart academic & intellectual student. In working together for a class presentation, the two of them developed a relationship with one another as the series progressed in an on-and-off manner. Joey made an enemy of Dwayne Myers, the school's resident tough guy. The two of them fought one another in the neighborhood's Schuyler Park in Season 2. In high school, Dwayne bullied Joey. Dwayne thwarted Joey's attempt to raise money for a car by walking through the school cafeteria naked on a dare by telling Mr. Raditch of Joey's plan in advance. The two of them would later reconcile when Joey promised to keep secret Dwayne's HIV-positive status. Joey's relationship with Caitlin ended in high school, when she started dating Claude Tanner. After Claude shot himself, the two of them would later get back together as a couple once more by the final episode of Degrassi High. In the TV movie School's Out, Joey cheated on Caitlin by dating, and having sex with Tessa. Joey lying to Tessa about having an outing with his parents when he was seeing Caitlin on his birthday ended the Joey/Tessa relationship. This was also exacerbated by Tessa discovering that Joey impregnated her which resulted in a subsequent abortion, all without Joey ever knowing about it. On the night of Joey's birthday, Caitlin lost her virginity to Joey, believing that he was also a virgin. The two of them became engaged at a cottage retreat attended by their classmates. The engagement lasted until Snake revealed in front of Caitlin that Joey was "Fucking Tessa". Degrassi: The Next Generation: Seasons 1–5 Joey has matured when he's seen in Degrassi: The Next Generation. In the series premiere, it is learned that he owns and runs a used car dealership. It is also learned that Joey married a woman named Julia (the mother of Craig Manning), with whom he fathered a girl named Angela. His wife died a year prior to the start of the season, and he cut himself off from the rest of the world and friends after the event. On the day of his ten-year high school reunion, he attempts to sell a car to his old friend, Lucy Fernandez, who asks if he is coming and hints that his wife would not have wanted him to become a recluse. Joey agrees to take Lucy out for a a test drive and drops her off at Degrassi Community School. Joey spots Caitlin and they contemplate how they've changed. He decides to go with them for drinks later but still remains unconfirmed for the reunion. At the bar, his friends reminisce about old times when his advertisement for his car dealership comes on. The advertisement detailed Joey ending up ripping his shirt off, much to the blunt critique of Caitlin's new fiancé, Keith. As a movie director, Keith initiated the friction between him and Joey by stating that Joey should "avoid the shifty, used car salesman vibe". Caitlin responds that he was a total "ham" during high school, and still was. Season 2 starts when Craig (Julia's son from a previous marriage; Joey's stepson) comes to Degrassi. Craig had been spending time with Joey's daughter Angela (Craig's half sister) against the wishes of Craig's father. Angela saw bruises that Craig had from being beaten by his father and is actually the one who reveals it to Joey. After an emotional moment in front of Julia's grave where Craig reveals he was beaten by his father, Joey welcomes him home. He helps Craig after the death of his birth father, Albert Manning. In Season 4, he helps Craig after he is diagnosed as being bipolar. Joey dated Sidney, then Caitlin. Their relationship ended when Kevin Smith who told Caitlin not to "settle" and to put her career first. He last appeared in season five's "Our Lips Are Sealed (1)". Currently Joey is dating Diane. In Season 6, it was said that he moved to Calgary with his daughter. Joey's birthdate of August was suggested by the movie "School's Out", as late in the summer but before school resumes, and after Caitlin Ryan fulfills a heavy summer work timetable. As Joey states early in 1989 ("Great Expectations") that he's 14, it places his birth year as in 1974, resulting in him turning 14 in August 1988 before he starts his first Grade 8 year Season 11 Pat Mastroianni will return to his role as Joey Jeremiah in the 2nd half of Season 11, along with Angela Jeremiah. Mastroianni's Departure In January 2007, on his website just three days after airing of the Degrassi episode "What It Feels Like To Be A Ghost, pt. 2", Pat Mastroianni announced that he is no longer going to play the part of Joey Jeremiah, which left many of his fans disappointed. Quotes *"Hey no problem." (First line) *"No glove, no love" *"Doesn't he ever go home?" Joey to the Farrell twins, Snake, Bronco, and Lucy, reffering to Raditch. *"You bring the money, I'll make you funny." Trivia *Joey (dysgraphia) is one of eight characters with a mental disability. The other seven are Anya (has dyslexia),Connor (has Aspergers) Liberty (with Dyscalculia), Spinner (with ADHD), Craig (with Bipolar disorder), Caitlin (with epilepsy), and Adam (Gender Identity Disorder). *Joey has called Craig his son only one time *Joey and Caitlin have been engaged twice. Relationships *Caitlin Ryan **First Relationship: ***Start Up: "Twenty Bucks" (310) Original Series ***Break up: "Everybody Wants Something" (405) Original Series ****Reason: It was revealed that Caitlin liked Claude Tanner. **Second Relationship: ***Start Up: "One Last Dance" (513) Original Series ***Break Up: "School's Out" (TV Movie) ****Reason: Joey cheated on Caitlin with Tessa Campanelli. **Third Relationship: ***Start Up: " Holiday Part 1" (312) The Next Generation ***Break Up: "Going Down The Road, Part 2" (422) The Next Generation ****Reason: Caitlin made out with Kevin Smith and while Joey does not find out, they had been fighting a lot about Craig and decided to call off their engagement. *Tessa Campanelli **Start Up: "School's Out" (TV Movie) **Break Up: "School's Out" (TV Movie) ***Reason: Joey had been lying to Tessa; he was actually cheating on Caitlin with her. *Julia Manning-Jeremiah **Start Up: "Sometime after School's Out" **Break Up: "Sometime before Mother and Child Reunion (1)"(101) The Next Generation (her death) *** Reason: While exact details of when the couple got together are unknown, we do know that Julia dies before Degrassi: The Next Generation premiered and that Joey had a child (Angela) with her. Julia is also the biological mother of Craig, whom Joey stepfathers. *Sydney **Start Up: Before "Father Figure, Part 1" (301) The Next Generation **Break Up: "Holiday, Part 2" (312) The Next Generation ***Reason: Sydney was rude to Caitlin, who still had feelings for Joey. *Diane **Start Up: "Weddings, Parties, Anything" (505) The Next Generation Category:DJH Characters Category:DH Characters Category:Degrassi: The Next Generation Category:Characters Category:Degrassi: TNG characters Category:Degrassi: TNG adults Category:Male Characters Category:Season 1 Category:Season 2 Category:Season 3 Category:Season 4 Category:Season 5 Category:Friendships Category:Relationships Category:Love Triangles Category:Crushes Category:Affairs Category:Cheating Category:Marriage Category:Parents Category:Family Issues Category:Coping Category:Musician Category:Singer Category:Band Category:Fights Category:Drinking Category:Party Category:Money Category:Canadian Category:Alumni